BikeFinder Integration

How to use Velogic Studio Pro's BikeFinder integration to suggest target frames and stem configurations for optimal bike fit positioning.

Note: This feature is only available with Velogic Studio Pro. It's not available for Velogic Studio Essentials.

Rationale

Helping your client select and/or configure a suitable new bike is often considered part of a bike fit. Velogic Studio's bikefinder integration helps you make that a seamless part of your bikefit offering.

If they have a particular bike in mind: use "Target Frames"

Bike fit clients often arrive at a bike fit with either:

• an existing bike, wanting to be fitted to that bike (which can be awkward if it's not the right bike for them)

• or pre-purchase, but with a particular bike in mind, and wanting to know the right size of that model.

After conducting the fit, many fitters will then work out options for their client:

• If they had an existing bike, but were fitted to a different barXY position: you need to find a stem/spacer configuration to achieve that position

• If they had a particular bike in mind, you need to suggest the best size AND then find a stem/spacer configuration to achieve their target XY.

Velogic Studio can help by suggesting a stem/spacer combination, and optionally a frame size, automatically during the fit. Whenever you measure the frame (either manually, or with our measurement wand), and the measurements include BarX and BarY, Velogic Studio will make a suggestion.

Read more in the "Choosing target frame(s)" section below.

If they want bike suggestions: use "Online Search"

If your client isn't already set on a particular model, you can send them home with a report showcasing some options that are likely to work for them.

Read more in the "Online search" section below.

Choosing target frame(s)

At the beginning of a fit, or at any time during the fit, you can add a target frame. In Step 1: Configuration, just click on "Add target frame":

Velogic Studio Step 1 Configuration interface with 'Add target frame' button in the Target Frames section

Note: If you don't see the Target Frames area, you may not be on the Pro level of Velogic Studio, or you may need to enable the BikeFinder plugin (Settings -> Plugins)

You'll see a Frame Search popup, where you enter a search term:

Frame Search popup window with search input field for entering bike brand, model, and year information

The search term is free-form text, so you can include brand, model and/or year. A maximum of 30 results will be returned; if the frame you're looking for isn't in the resultset, but you have lots of results, you may need to be more specific.

If you can't find a frame that you believe should be in the database, please contact us ([email protected]) to request it be added.

Once you can see the frame you're looking for, click on it, and you'll see it appear in the right-hand side of the search window:

Frame search results showing selected bike frame with size options and 'Add target frame' button

You have the opportunity to select a particular frame size (e.g. if your client already has the bike), or leave the size as "Any" for Velogic Studio to suggest a frame size.

Click "Add target frame", and the search popup will close and the frame will be added to the Target Frames area:

Target Frames section displaying added bike frame with configuration options for BarXY Tolerance and Saddle Protrusion

Note: You can have multiple target frames for the same frame, with different sizes. E.g. if you client has a size 'M', you can add one target frame for that size, and a second target frame for the same model but "Any" size. You can then compare the best stem/sizer configuration for their size, and also the suggested best size.

Once you've added one or more target frames, you'll see options for BarXY Tolerance and Saddle Protrusion at the top of the Target Frames area. They are both optional, but if you switch them on, you can add parameters used to generate the recommendations:

Target frame configuration showing BarXY Tolerance and Saddle Protrusion settings for precise fit recommendations

• If you specify a BarXY Tolerance (mm), Velogic Studio will never suggest a stem/spacer configuration which is further than the specified distance from the target bar XY.

• If you specify a Saddle Protrusion (%), and you then measure saddle height, Velogic Studio will also check that the saddle post + saddle "protrude" at least the specified percentage of total saddle height above the seat tube. This is to prevent a situation where a shorter rider in an aggressive position is suggested a large frame (to achieve the desired reach), BUT the saddle would be slammed down onto the frame (or be forced higher than the ideal height by the seat tube). For more information, see "What is Saddle Protrusion" in the FAQ section below.

Getting suggestions for target frames during measurement

When you have added some target frames, and you measure the frame with the measurement wand (or enter manual measurements), you'll see suggested frame sizes and/or stem/spacer combinations to achieve that barXY (and optionally saddle height):

BikeFinder suggestions displaying recommended frame sizes and stem configurations with accuracy metrics for each target frame

For each target frame you added in step 1, you'll see one suggestion, containing:

• The brand, model and year of the target frame

• The target size you selected

• A suggested size (only if you selected "Any" for target size)

• A suggested stem configuration, e.g. "120mm +8°, 15mm sp."

  • 120mm is the stem length

  • +8° means an 8° stem, angled upwards (if the sign was negative, e.g. -8°, that would mean that the stem is angled downwards)

  • 15mm sp. means 15mm of spacing from the top of the head tube to the bottom of the stem.

Note: The spacers number is from the top of the head tube. You need to measure and subtract the height of the cups and headset cap/top race to determine the physical spacers to add.

• Information on how close the suggestion is to your target measurement:

  • Bar X and Bar Y shows how many millimeters the suggestion exceeded the target (or fell short if negative)

  • Saddle shows the percentage of saddle protrusion (see FAQ)

When you click Finish, the measurements are added to the Fit Log.

Viewing frame suggestions in the fit log

When you view the fit log, you'll see a "Target Frames" section inside the "Bike metric" section, with one row per target frame.

Each target frame row will show a suggestion for each measurement column, so you can see the suggestion for different positions that you've measured during the fit.

Fit log Target Frames section showing frame suggestions across different measurement positions with stem and spacer recommendations

If Velogic Studio cannot make a suggestion (because it couldn't find a frame size and stem/spacer combination within the specified tolerance of the target bar XY), it will show "No suggestion". If you don't specify a bar XY tolerance, then Velogic Studio will always make a suggestion, even if it's ridiculously large (or small) for the target barXY position. In that case, you can read the BarX and Bar Y errors, and saddle protrusion, from the bottom row of text to decide whether it's acceptable.

Online Search

You can use the Online Search feature of the BikeFinder module when taking measurements or reviewing an existing measurement.

Online Search interface displaying multiple bike frame options with compatibility ratings for measured rider position

FAQ

Q. Can I use the Target Frames feature offline?

A. No. This feature connects to the Velogic online frame database, so the feature will not work if you are offline.

However, you can conduct a fit offline, and then later when you are online again, you can add target frames to retrieve suggestions for the fit.

Q. What if I don't like the suggestion for a target frame?

A. Please get in touch and explain the details of the recommendation you got, and why it wasn't what you expected. Our suggestion engine is constantly improving to give the best results in a range of circumstances.

Q. What is saddle protrusion?

A. The saddle height (distance from the bottom bearing to the top of the saddle) is achieved via 3 components or stages, from the bottom up:

• the seat tube (from the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube)

• then the visible part of the seatpost

• and then the saddle itself.

Saddle Protrusion is simply the percentage of the saddle height that comes from the visible part of the seatpost and the saddle. It's a measure of how much the seatpost "sticks out" of the seat tube.

Velogic Studio will show the saddle protrusion percentage, if you have measured a saddle height and if we have SeatTubeCT data available for the selected frame (which we mostly do).